


somewhere only we know

by cptainmarvel



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: A tiny tiny bit of angst, Christmas Fluff, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, i'm thasmin trash, kind of late but oh well, thasmin, this is my first post on here pls be nice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-28 22:03:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17191127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cptainmarvel/pseuds/cptainmarvel
Summary: in which the doctor can't ice-skate, yaz can ice-skate perfectly, and a hot chocolate date happens





	somewhere only we know

**Author's Note:**

> i'm so soft for thasmin

"We're here," the Doctor announced as she pulled the last lever, then stepped back from the TARDIS console. Grinning, she looked over at her companions, who all had varying degrees of uncertainty on their faces. "Oh, don't look too excited. This is gonna be good! I promise."

Yaz looked at Ryan then back at the Doctor, a small smile growing on her face.

"Is there a planet out there? A nice one, that's not tryna kill us?"

The Doctor nodded, her own smile becoming wider as she noticed Yaz's excitement.

"Yep. Right outside those doors." She hopped over, sticking her head out and inhaling loudly. A few snowflakes drifted in from outside. "Breathable atmosphere, currently, ooh. Minus four degrees Celsius? Snows constantly. Might wanna wrap up."

Yaz's eyes widened, her own smile blooming. "What's it called? The planet, I mean."

"Uh, name doesn't quite translate. Closest word is 'Christmas'."

"Christmas? We're on a planet called Christmas?" Ryan asked, his jaw dropping slightly.

"Broadly speaking," the Doctor nodded. She shut the TARDIS door, turning to face them again. "Well come on then, get a shift on! We haven't got all day. Literally, the days here only last four hours."

Graham frowned. "Four hour day? How do they have time to do anything?"

"Oh, you can do _loads_ in four hours. I once went to a party with Pythagoras that went on for that long. Never seen a man drink so much, he was hungover for a week," she shook her head as she recounted the memory. "Anyway, off you pop! Need anything, TARDIS wardrobe is first left, second right, third left, then straight ahead. Go under the stairs, past the bins, fifth door on your left."

All three of her friends looked vaguely confused, but Graham nodded, leading Ryan out of the console room and down the corridor. Yaz hung back, the ghost of a smile playing on her lips as she looked up at the blonde alien.

"What's the matter? You're making that face you make when you want something," the Doctor said suspiciously. She narrowed her eyes, hands on her hips as she watched her approach.

"Can I get a sneak peek?" Yaz asked, looking hopeful. "I'm never the first one out the doors, it's always Ryan."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, looking amused. "Seriously? You wanna see it before the others?"

"Please? Just this once. Promise I won't tell," she bit her lip.

Her mind was swimming with the thoughts of what could be outside, brimming with wonder and curiosity. The Doctor considered her for a moment, a smile on her face as Yaz put her hands together in hope.

"Go on then," she nodded at the doors, laughing as she bounded over to them. They met there, Yaz looking at the Doctor almost as if she were asking permission. "Ready?"

"This is why you do this, isn't it? Why you keep travelling. There's always something different," she was wide-eyed as she spoke, her whole face alight with wonder.

The Doctor nodded, grinning. "Every time."

Yaz beamed as she pulled open the doors, laughing gleefully as she took it all in. They'd landed on a snowbank, settled just above a huge ice skating rink. A massive Christmas tree sat in the centre, twinkling and looking as though it grazed the sky.

Dozens of people (and aliens) glided over the ice, some holding hands, a few performing tricks. All around it was a myriad of little wooden buildings, decorated with fairy lights that flashed and twirled and changed colour as they watched.

The Doctor was right; snow fell heavily, coating everything as far as they could see. The sky itself was rich and royal blue, two moons casting a warm glow over everything. Stars littered the heavens, winking down at them.

The entire place looked like a Christmas card come to life.

"It's beautiful," Yaz breathed, listening to the sounds of music and cheery laughter filling the air. "It's like the Christmas markets, back in Sheffield. My mum used to take us there, me and my sister. This is _amazing_."

"Yeah," the Doctor smiled gently at her. "It's pretty amazing."

"Aw, c'mon. You went out without us?" came Ryan's voice, announcing his and Graham's return. They were bundled up in hats, scarves and huge coats, looking much warmer than the other two.

"Brought you your stuff," Graham smiled. He gave Yaz her red winter coat and grey hat, then handed the Doctor a rainbow-striped scarf. "You'll need that, Doctor. It's freezing."

"Thanks, Graham. But I'll be fine," she shook her head, refusing politely. "Time Lord physiology, y'see. Don't get as cold as humans."

"Doctor," Yaz gave her a stern look. "Put on the scarf."

The Doctor looked surprised at her bluntness for a moment before doing as she was told, wrapping the scarf around her neck. It was comfy, she supposed. And warm, too. She wondered vaguely which one of her old friends had left this behind.

"See? Much better. C'mon then. We've got loads to do," Yaz grinned, grabbing onto the Doctor's hand. She barely gave her a chance to shut the TARDIS doors before she pulled her outside, eager to discover everything she could about this new world.

***

" _Whoa!_ Okay, I am not cut out for this," the Doctor panted, her hearts racing as she slipped on the ice for the millionth time. "Nope, not for me."

Yaz glided over, a grin on her face as she looked down at the funny blonde on the ground. She grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet, laughing as the Doctor almost slipped again, holding her tightly.

"You said you were good at this," she chuckled, making sure she was steady before slowly letting go of her.

"I am!" the Doctor defended herself. "Or, I was. I came first in the Inter-Galactic Winter Championships, you know. Figure skating category."

Eyes twinkling, Yaz tried not to laugh again. "That was obviously a lifetime ago."

She began to skate away, but was stopped by an indignant yell from behind her.

"Oi! You can't leave me, I'll fall over again!"

"No, you won't," Yaz began to argue, but cut herself off as the Doctor began wobbling. She clutched her hands tightly, providing much needed warmth, but also threatening to cut off Yaz's blood circulation. "Okay, I see what you mean. Just keep hold of me, okay? You'll be fine. I promise."

The Doctor nodded, taking a deep breath as they began moving again. Keeping their hands linked, Yaz guided her across the rink, and soon they'd joined the rest of the skaters in their circle around the Christmas tree. They were interesting to watch. Some had three eyes and purple skin, while others were tiny and green, with only one foot to fit an ice-skate on.

"See? You can do it," she smiled.

Nodding, she grinned as Yaz laughed again. She looked rather pretty, with snowflakes clinging to her long dark hair, and her bobble hat making her appear even more adorable than usual. The lights from the tree and the markets behind them illuminated her face, bathing her in a warm glow.

The Doctor found herself not watching where she was going and tripped over her own feet, grabbing onto her friend in a desperate plea to stay upright. It ended with Yaz falling first, the Doctor landing on top of her with a loud _'oof!'_

"Nope," she grimaced apologetically. From somewhere, she thought she could hear Ryan's laughter. "I really don't think I can do it."

"You might have a point," Yaz whispered. Never had she been this close to the Doctor before, but now she could see every detail of her face, of those glorious, brown eyes. Swallowing nervously, she shifted under her weight.

"Sorry," the Doctor told her, clambering to her feet awkwardly. It was suddenly, ridiculously warm as she helped her companion to stand. Now, she was very aware of the feeling of Yaz's hand in hers, the cold metal of her rings brushing against her fingers.

Yeah - that was definitely Ryan laughing.

"It's fine," Yaz shook her head. "Uh - should we get some hot chocolate, or something? I don't know. What do aliens drink at Christmas?"

"Let's go and find out, shall we?" the Doctor tried for a smile, but her insides were fizzing like after a regeneration.

They crossed the rink and exited through one of the gates, walking over the carpeted area and taking a seat on the benches. They took their skates off in silence, one that was thankfully broken by the arrival of Ryan.

"Saw you fall over," he laughed, taking a seat next to Yaz. "Thought you said you were a pro, Doc."

"I am! Oh, do you know what..." the Doctor trailed off, shaking her head. She reached down and grabbed both pairs of skates. "I'll return these, get our shoes back," she informed them, then hurried away, her fuzzy blue socks padding against the floor. Yaz watched her go, frowning slightly.

"You two are so obvious," Ryan told her.

"Don't know what you're talking about," she sniffed. The dozens of coloured stalls offered her the perfect change of subject. "Do they sell gingerbread here? I swear I can smell gingerbread."

"Uh, no, nuh-uh. You're not changing the subject," he shook his head. "I'm right, aren't I? About you and the Doctor?"

Yaz scoffed, brushing off his comment, though her heart raced at a mile a minute in her chest. "There is no 'me and the Doctor'."

"Aw, come on. I can see it, probably even Graham, too," Ryan insisted. "We all know how you feel about her. And she feels the same. You're just too scared to do anything."

"I am _not_ too scared," she scoffed. He simply watched her, corners of his lips twitching. "Alright, fine. I'm scared. Of course I am! She's the Doctor. She's brilliant. And an alien, and like two thousand years old. I'm nothing compared to her."

Ryan frowned. "That's not true. You know she doesn't think that, she thinks the world of you," he paused, clearly not getting through to Yaz. "Alright, keep believing that. But I promise you, I'm a million per-cent right."

***

Hot chocolate on Earth, Ryan discovered, was nothing compared to hot chocolate on the planet Christmas. It seemed to warm him from the inside out, until even his fingertips weren't so numb anymore.

"This is amazing," he declared, taking another sip. Yaz was watching him anxiously, eyebrows raised in apprehension. Graham didn't hold the same nerves, happily sipping his own once Ryan had decided it was good enough.

"What's in it? Some weird alien stuff?" Yaz asked. The Doctor pulled out her sonic and scanned the mug, shaking her head as she read the results.

"No, surprisingly," she told her, eyebrows raised. "Primarily cocoa powder and sugar. Also known as your bog-standard hot chocolate. It's Halal, too, if you want some," she added helpfully, with a small smile.

Nodding, Yaz attempted to smile back at her. An awkward energy had been hanging over them since their attempt at ice-skating, one that neither of them were enjoying. "Yes, please. It better be as good as you say it is, Ryan."

Ryan turned to her, eyes wide and a smudge of whipped cream on his upper lip, creating the illusion of a moustache. At the sight of him, Graham guffawed, but his grandson was apparently oblivious. "Yaz," he said sincerely. "This is the best thing I've ever tasted in my life."

Slightly concerned at the intensity of his statement, Yaz furrowed a brow and laughed. In all the time she'd known him, she'd never heard him talk about anything so seriously. "Alright, whatever you say."

A moment later the Doctor returned with a cup of hot chocolate for Yaz, handing it to her with a polite smile. Yaz accepted it happily, taking a sip and immediately understanding why Ryan had had such a strong reaction. He watched with an 'I-told-you-so' look as her eyes closed in awe, and she let out a groan of joy. The Doctor had told them it was their usual hot chocolate, but something else had to have been added to it to make it taste this amazing.

"See?" Ryan nodded, as Yaz looked to him, eyes wide. She grabbed his upper arm, exaggerating as she leaned against him for support. With a laugh, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Best hot chocolate in the universe, I reckon."

"Back to the TARDIS, then?" the Doctor cleared her throat, smiling tightly as she spoke. Her sad gaze seemed to be fixed on Yaz, who frowned a little at the sliver of ice in her voice. "Getting a bit cold out here."

"Yeah, alright, Doc," Graham nodded. In his eye he held a sort of knowing look, as if he was reading the situation in a way nobody else could. The Doctor turned and began to walk away, and he grimaced at his younger companions before he followed after her.

***

The journey back to the TARDIS had been an almost silent one, only broken by the sounds of Ryan slurping his hot chocolate as they walked. After a bit Yaz had offered him her own drink, finding that she no longer cared for it. The Doctor had left her feeling confused from her tone of voice, and the almost disappointed look she'd given her. Now, it was just the two of them in the console room, the blonde alien deliberately avoiding Yaz's eye. Graham had muttered something about warming up by a fire he'd spotted in a living room somewhere on board, and had dragged Ryan along with him. She suspected he'd done it to give them some alone time, which she was grateful for.

"Have I done something wrong?" she asked finally, unable to take the quiet between them any longer. Most of the time the Doctor would be rambling about something that none of her friends could understand, but her enthusiasm and passion would always make Yaz smile.

The Doctor's head snapped up from where she'd been tinkering with the console, a surprised look on her face.

"No," she shook her head firmly. "Never."

Yaz took a deep breath. "Then why aren't you talking to me?"

There was a pause as the Doctor swallowed, then stood up straight, her hands in her pockets.

"Did you enjoy tonight?" she asked, changing the subject completely.

"Of course I did," Yaz frowned, more than a little confused. "It was amazing."

"Good. Sorry for being so bad at ice-skating, I promise I was a lot more competent when - "

"Doctor, don't do this," she shook her head. "You always do this. Change the subject when you don't want to talk about important things.”

The Doctor's shoulder's visibly slumped. Her face fell, and the facade she'd put on melted away. It seemed that for now, at least, she’d let her guard down.

“Sorry.”

Yaz approached her slowly, feeling horrifically guilty. No matter what was going on in her head, she couldn’t let her best friend stand there alone, so horribly sad and small. It was uncharacteristic and, frankly, almost alarming.

“I didn’t mind helping you with ice-skating, by the way,” Yaz told her. “Actually, I enjoyed it. It’s fun knowing how to do something you can’t. And...it was nice.”

“I liked it too,” the Doctor murmured.

Yaz hesitantly took her hand in her own, enjoying the way their fingers locked together, perfectly filling in the spaces in between. Wherever they went, the Doctor’s hands were always warm, providing her with safety and comfort. Here was no exception.

“Then why’d you stop talking to me?” she asked. Her tone wasn’t accusatory, or angry. It was just curious.

“When somebody you love...is with somebody else,” the Doctor began nervously. “It hurts.”

“You...you love me?” Yaz was shocked. This felt like a dream, or a fantasy. In response, the blonde gave a small nod. “I love you too, you idiot.”

The Doctor looked up, her eyes wide with excitement.

“Oh, wow! Good. Fantastic. No, better than that - _brilliant_."

Yaz laughed, bowing her head and then looking back up, smiling gently.

The Doctor's tone changed when she spoke next. "Yaz...can I...?"

There was no need for her to finish the question; Yaz was already nodding, feeling like she was floating. It felt like pure electricity as the Doctor slowly, impossibly, ducked her head down to kiss her. Her lips were soft against her own, the kiss gentle at first until they were both sure the other wasn't going to move away. The Doctor squeezed her waist gently as Yaz moved her hands from her neck to her face, their bodies pressed snug against each other.

It felt as though all the worlds had stopped turning, frozen, and _oh,_ thought Yaz, if only they would freeze, just for them. They could stay in this picture-perfect moment, nothing in the universe able to come between them. The kiss tasted like chocolate and whipped cream and the vanilla of Yaz's lipstick, sweet and passionate and everything they'd dreamed of. She would have given anything, anything, to be able to stay in that place, in the minuscule area of the whole of time and space that was that kiss, but they really did have to stop, both women finding themselves breathless. Yaz kissed the Doctor again, quickly, making them both giggle at the ridiculousness of it all.

"I'm so glad you feel the same," the Doctor whispered. "It would have been really awkward if you didn't."

Yaz let out a laugh, almost one of relief, her head falling onto the taller woman's shoulder. To think she'd spent weeks agonising over whatever this was, not knowing that her feelings were reciprocated. But now it felt foolish to even consider this being a one-sided thing. Of course the Doctor felt the same. This was right, and perfect: these two, together, finding their own paradise in the midst of the universe's chaos.

"Shut up and kiss me again."

**Author's Note:**

> whew ! so this was the first thing i've ever posted on ao3 so please be kind lol
> 
> also i know this is kind of late because christmas was 3 days ago but oh well
> 
> thank u for reading! please leave kudos/comments if u enjoyed <3


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